The Fates Always Have a Plan
by OfficialLostGirl
Summary: Everyone deserves a second chance. But when you mess that one up by giving the prince of Auradon a love potion, you really shouldn't get a third. AKA a story featuring Ben's reasonable reaction to basically being drugged, how that affects the story, and a new character who (probably) won't drug the prince. Fingers crossed. Ben/OC. (description is misleading - the VKs aren't bad)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom of rolling hills and towering castles. It's name was Auradon, and it was a kingdom united by the efforts of King Adam and Queen Belle. For some reason, they got to rule, even though there are about thirty other royal families in the area. It makes no sense.

Anyway, back to my introduction. Off the coast of Auradon lay a small, industrial island. It was smelly and gross, and surrounded by a protective forcefield.

Of course, the forcefield wasn't meant to protect the island. Oh no, it was to keep everyone in Auradon safe from the vile, evil inhabitants of the Isle of the Lost.

And yes, that's its name. Super lame. _Oh, I wonder what we should name this island with all the people we hate most living on it. I know! We'll imply that they were just lost, misguided souls, because we are way too optimistic and like to see the good in everyone! But despite the name, they will be given no second chances because they're super evil._ It makes so much sense.

Now, this is the part where I talk all about the people who live on the island, and how they play a role in this story. Let me just go ahead and get this out of the way – _I_ am the most important person on the island; however, I'll go ahead and list off the other people involved in this tale as well.

First, there's Mal. Weird name, right? It gets even weirder when you know that her mother is Maleficent. Yeah. Her daughter's name is literally the first part of her name. How original. I wonder if she wanted everyone to know that Mal is her daughter? Well, if it weren't for the name and the ridiculous purple hair, you really wouldn't know they were related. For the daughter of one of the greatest villains in the history of the kingdom, she's quite bad at being bad - not for lack of trying of course. She does her best, stealing candy from babies and stepping on tables, but nothing that really screams _bad._ It wouldn't be such a poor attempt if not for the fact that it's obvious she doesn't want to be her mother. As much as she tries to hide it, I can tell she doesn't really want to be evil. Maybe mean or even unpleasant, but definitely not to the extent her mother expects of her.

Next is Evie, daughter of, guess who, the Evil Queen. I've never heard her mother be called by an actual name, so I suppose "Evie" is as close to "Evil Queen" as you can get, while still passing as a name (kind of). From what I can tell, Evie is more interested in fashion and securing a prince – good luck with that on this island – than following in her mother's footsteps. That really impresses me, because she knows what she wants and goes for it, and because her mother really wasn't that good of a villain. I mean, she tried to kill Snow White with an apple, just because she thought the girl was prettier than her. That seems kind of crazy to me.

Third up is Jay, thief extraordinaire. He will steal literally anything that's available. Seriously, anything. His dad is Jafar – again with the creative naming of children – and compared to the others I've mentioned, they seem to have the best relationship. Granted, it's mainly because Jafar wants stolen goods and Jay really likes to steal, but it's better than nothing. To be perfectly honest, Jay is the kid I know the least about, other than the fact that he's really sneaky and _really_ competitive. I tried playing cards with him once (courtesy of the Queen of Hearts) and I can say without a doubt that I will never do that again. He flipped a table onto a couple eating nearby when I beat him.

Last but not least, there's Carlos, the only one with a real and original name out of the four. Unfortunately, despite his luck in the naming department, he drew the short stick when it came to parents. And I mean the really, _really_ short stick. His mom, Cruella De Ville, wears a coat made of dogs, which is pretty creepy. Also, she decided it was a good idea to make her son terrified of the animals. I can't even imagine being afraid of dogs, since they're the greatest animals ever. Even my dog, who has three heads and three times the sharp teeth, is very sweet. From the moment I met him, it was clear to me that Carlos was the most ridiculous of the bunch.

So that's it. The four other people from the island who play a part in this story. The only thing they really have in common is bad parenting. I mean, I can't complain, my dad is the god of the underworld, but at least he cares about me. Their parents only care about what their kids can do for them.

I suppose that's the reason why we never became friends; I always had my dad to look out for me and be my friend, and all they had was each other. And I would just like to say that, for the record, no, I do not have blue fiery hair. For some reason that trait just didn't seem to pass down to me, thank goodness. The only thing my dad and I have in common is our biting sense of humor.

While I'm on the wonderful subject of me, I suppose there are a couple more things I should mention. I have a three-headed dog named Cerberus, and he's the reason that Carlos is afraid to get within ten feet of me. Normally on the island, pets aren't allowed; however, my dad drives a hard bargain, especially when he mentions the consequence of suffering in the Underworld for all eternity; he's such a good father. So a deal was struck – we got to keep Cerberus, but he had to be shrunken down to the size of a pug so that he couldn't harm anyone. That was fine by me, since I was a kid, and little doggies were easier to cuddle with when it got cold, as it often did. Oh yes, another thing: we live underground on the island. The only cliché thing about my family, but that's fine. It's better than being named after my dad.

I think that's all the background information I need to give, so I suppose this is where the real story begins.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Holy crap you guys. I honestly did not expect this much support after one chapter! I would like to say thanks to katieroseanne, HarleyQuinnSuperWhoLockHP, Kristen123, kikawd, Just Lindsey, SeleneAlice, pinkcrazyness, WinterLuna2019, Cap's Best Girl, stellinasparkles, and YamazakiHikari for following/favoriting this story! And a HUGE thank you to Audrey for being the first person to review! (full author's note at the end of the chapter)**

 **Disclaimer: Descendants is not mine, only my OC Andrea belongs to me.**

 **Chapter 1**

I hated mornings. I mean I _really_ hated mornings. It usually took about thirty minutes to wake me up, and that was on a good day.

Which is probably why I was so grumpy when I was woken up by singing. Oh yes, singing, courtesy of the four nuisance kids - aka Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos.

 _Why? Why would you do this to me? It's only -_

I checked my clock and gaped.

 _\- eight in the morning! Why are you even awake right now?!_

I stuffed my head back into my pillow to try to drown out the noise, but to no avail. I could still hear it loud and clear.

I flipped back over, and glaring at the ceiling, yelled, "If you were truly terrible, you wouldn't have to sing about it!"

Yes, I knew they couldn't hear me, but it still made me feel better.

Finally after a few minutes - and a few choice words that I am not proud to admit I said - they moved on to torment another area of the island.

 _Thank goodness_.

I re-situated myself in my bed, and tried to fall back asleep, when someone opened the door and another loud noise interrupted me.

"Andrea! Get up!"

That would be my dad. His fiery blue hair had died out years ago, and left in its place was a thin fuzzy layer of grey. His skin, once an ashy shade of gray, had faded over time into a much more natural, though still pale, color. Unfortunately, his teeth had barely worn down due to use, and we're still quite pointy. Needless to say, children found hat feature particularly terrifying.

Almost all of my dads clothes were grey or black. But hey, at least he wore pants now, as opposed to the ratty robe he used to wear. I made him get rid of it almost as soon as I could talk.

My fathers presence demanded the attention of everyone around him. Not only was he physically intimidating, but he was also a god. I mean, he couldn't really do anything on the island, but the fact that he was once able to command armies of the dead was enough to scare most people into submission.

I attempted to ignore him, rolling over and pulling my blanket high over my head; unfortunately, it didn't work.

My father approached my bed and ripped my blanket off of me, impatient.

"Andrea, this is important, you need to get up. You know I wouldn't try to talk to you this early if it wasn't urgent."

He had a point there. He knew when to keep his distance, and that was usually before 11 a.m.

"Okay, okay, gimme a second," I mumbled. I pulled myself from the warmth of my bed, rubbed my eyes, and looked at my dad.

"What's up?"

"There's news. Get dressed and we'll talk in the kitchen." He swept out of the room (and yes, I do mean swept, he can be so dramatic) and headed to the kitchen.

I stumbled over to my closet, still not fully awake. I threw on some comfortable clothes and hurried into the kitchen, eager to hear the news.

For exiled villains, our house was pretty nice. My father and I both had our own bedrooms, but we shared a bathroom. The kitchen and living room were both connected, and off to the side of the stove, a door led to our wash room. Not bad.

We had filled our house with anything we could find to make it more comfortable, meaning old blankets, pillows, cushions, and lots of candles. When everyone had first been sent here, my dad scoured the entire island and basically called dibs on all the books there were. No one argued because, well, he's Hades.

Our kitchen was made up of mostly dark furniture, none of which matched. We had three different chairs situated around a small round table: one for me, one for my dad, and one for Cerberus. My dad was currently sitting in the tallest chair, painted a dark red color, and was petting Cerberus while he waited for me to come in.

I sat down at the table opposite my father, and stared at him expectantly.

"You'll need to start packing Andrea. You and the four miscreants singing earlier will be attending a new school by royal decree of the prince," he said. Looking at me, he waited for a reaction.

I sat there for a moment, processing what he had said. When I finally found my voice, the only thing that came out was, "WHAT?"

 _This is ridiculous! They can't just make me switch schools! I live here on the island. I'm in the middle of my classes. There's no way that I'm going. Not gonna happen._

My dad seemed to anticipate where my thoughts were headed, and warned me, "Before you say no, keep in mind that you have no choice."

 _Of course I don't have a choice. Benjamin's the precious prince and he gets whatever he wants. He's not even king yet, can he actually do this? Seriously, he doesn't get crowned for another week or so. Why does he get to make royal decrees?I guess it doesn't make a difference whether he's King or not, we still have to do what he says._

After giving myself a few moments to think, I decided to ask the only question that really mattered at that point.

"When do I leave?"

"Now."

My room was a mess.

My dad's old suitcase sat on my bed, filled with all the things I knew to bring with me. I had never really gone anywhere before, especially anywhere off the island, so I wasn't sure what to pack. Of course I was taking clothes and such, but I didn't know how long this whole thing would last.

 _Probably not long. The others will find a way to screw it up all too soon_.

I had decided to take the biggest bag I had, hoping it would suffice as a back pack for my school things. I was also bringing a blanket and a pillow, in case they decided that villains' kids shouldn't be given beds.

 _I wouldn't put it past them._

Looking around my room, I decided that what I had packed would just have to do. I had to leave soon.

I zipped up the suitcase, grabbed my bag, and headed out into the living room.

My dad was on the couch waiting with Cerberus sitting in his lap. I set my things down on the floor as my father stood, set the dog aside, and hugged me tightly.

"I know you didn't want to do this, and I'm sorry you have no choice, but try to make the best of it. It'll be your chance to see what's off of this island. You'll be going to a great school, too. I'll see if I can... _convince_ someone up there to let Cerberus visit you. I'll miss you, kiddo."

I returned the hug just as tightly, and smiled when we let go.

"I'll miss you, too. Try not to be too lonely without me."

I then crouched down to where Cerberus sat on the floor and hugged him, too.

"Oh, buddy, I'll miss you so much. Who'll keep people from bothering me all the time when you aren't there? Be good, and don't tear up my room while I'm gone."

Finished saying my goodbyes, I smiled again at my dad and walked out of the door. He wouldn't be waking me to the car. We liked to keep our family matters pretty private, and my dad figured it would be easier for me to leave that way. He was right.

As I approached the car, I noticed how long it was. It was a sleek black color, and it's windows were dark. Probably so people couldn't see who was in the car as we drove through the kingdom. Smart.

 _We don't want the fancy car getting egged, now do we?_

I stepped up to the trunk, where a man stood, waiting to take my bag. Ignoring him, I hoisted up my bag and threw it in, unassisted.

 _I mean really, I can lift this all by myself, I'm a big girl. Thanks for the help, but no thanks. And now comes the fun part. A who-knows-how-long ride in a car with them._

That last thought came to me as I walked around the corner of the car, and looked inside at Evie, Mal, Carlos, and Jay. I paused, mentally preparing myself to be in close proximity to them, before I crouched down and slid into the empty seat faxing forward.

The inside of the car was even more impressive than the outside. There was a flat-screen TV, candies and sweets, and a golden remote currently being held by Mal. The two boys instantly dove for the candy, fighting and hitting each other over food they probably couldn't even identify. If I had never seen it (and I hadn't), then they had probably never come across it either.

 _Okay, I'm going to be stuck in a new school filled with people that hate me because of my dad. My best bet is probably to just stick with these guys, and try to be nice._

With that thought, I settled back into the seat as the car began to move.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I'm leaving to go camping today, so I wanted to go ahead and get this out before I was stuck with no internet. I rushed a bit, so it's a short chapter, sorry. I stopped there because I wanted to have introductions and Andrea getting settled into the new school all in one chapter. Also, I don't own this movie, so the lines probably won't be word-for-word the same. Thanks so much for reading, and if you feel like it, please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Thanks to everyone new who favorited/followed/reviewed! Sorry about how long this chapter took. I wanted to post it sooner, but I order the movie online Monday and it came in earlier today, so I figured I would wait a day or so and the dialogue would be perfect. As much as I don't want to repeat the same scenes from the movie, this one is important along with a few others. However, I hope that coming from Andrea's perspective makes it a bit more interesting.**

 **Chapter 2**

Despite my resolution to make friends with the other people in the car with me, I spent most of my time looking out of the window and eating candy.

The squishy sour ones that looked like worms were my favorite, and my pockets were full of them. No shame.

The car made a slight left off of the road it had been on, and passed by a fancy and official-looking sign with the words "Auradon Prep" written in golden lettering. The land became more pristine compared to the former wild beauty it held. The grounds of the school were expansive, filled with trees and flowers and many other plants I couldn't name, and a ways in the distance stood the school. And by school I mean castle.

 _These people have too much money_.

As we neared the school (castle), I noticed a small welcoming party waited for us. The band was there and enthusiastically playing - though I was sure none of them were enthusiastic in the least to see us - in the middle of an intricate garden area, holding a statue at its center. Behind them, closer to the school's entrance, students in preppy clothes were placed sporadically, some with signs exclaiming "Welcome!" and other just waving their hands.

The car pulled up right in front of the band and rolled to a stop. Carlos and Jay - who had taken from the car anything that was not attached - we're currently fighting over some strip of cloth in the car, Evie was fluffing her hair, and Mal was looking mildly disinterested.

 _All getting ready for first impressions, I see._

As soon as I heard the door unlock, I wrenched it open, nimbly jumped out, and stepped to the side right before Jay and Carlos came tumbling out onto the ground, still fighting. Oh, and Carlos was screaming.

"You got everything else! Why do you want whatever this is?!" he yelled from the ground to Jay, who was now standing above him, a foot on his chest.

"'Cause you want it!"

Mal and Evie quickly stepped out around them and stood by me, trying to salvage what remained of our first impression.

The band had stopped playing in all the commotion, and parted like the Red Sea for an important-looking woman wearing a blue dress and coat with a ridiculous pink bow. Really, that thing was huge. She spread her arms in a welcoming gesture, though her lip automatically curled in aversion at the behavior of the two boys. Or maybe just at us in general. I wasn't really sure.

Mal got the attention of Jay and Carlos with a few sharp "Guys!" and informed them, "We have an audience."

Jay straightened up with a smile and said, "Just cleaning up," slowly taking his booted foot off Carlos's chest. The boy leapt up from the ground, successful in his efforts to win the blue cloth.

The woman in blue - who I now noticed was standing in front of two more students - smiled and scolded in a sing-song voice, "Leave it like you found it. And by that I mean just leave it."

Jay disappointedly threw all of his stolen goods back into the vehicle, and Carlos did the same with his hard-won cloth.

Jay then decided to turn his attention to the girl behind the woman in blue. "Hello foxy."

And this is when I stop paying attention.

Instead I took the time to study the three people standing before us. From my position to the left of Evie, it was a bit hard to see the girl Jay was trying to flirt with, but I was able to make out her brown hair, smooth skin, and generally condescending expression.

From her I moved my eyes to the woman in blue. I was barely listening to conversation, but I picked up that she was the Fairy God Mother, Headmistress of Auradon Prep. She was short and stout with dark brown hair and a friendly face. She didn't seem unhappy to see us, which gave me hope. Maybe everyone wouldn't hate us here.

Next was the boy clad in blue and gold. He was tall, with dark blond hair and wide smile. He looked far too happy to see us.

 _Hmm, I wonder who he is? I guess Prince Ben, the reason we are all here. I should give him a thank-you punch in the face for all his consideration._

Through my powers of barely listening, my guess was proved correct. He was indeed the prince. Yay.

And ew, now he and the girl whose name I learned was Audrey were holding hands. Gross. Thankfully the Headmistress split their interlocked fingers and stepped through them like a door, exiting dramatically.

I figured I should start paying attention again at that point.

Ben and Audrey stepped apart as the band walked past them, and then it was time for introductions.

Ben made to shake hands with all of us, starting with Jay, but instead got punched in the arm. As you do. He then moved to Mal, who looked like she would rather burn off her hand than shake Ben's, and began to speak, "This is a momentous occasion."

He moved to Carlos, who was covered in chocolate, and continued, "And one that I hope will go down in history," he shook Evie's hand then, "as the day our two people began to heal."

It was now my turn. Unfortunately, Ben had finished his prepared spiel, and so it was five seconds of awkward hand shaking and staring.

 _He has nice teeth_.

I didn't want to be rude or anything, so I waited for him to withdraw his hand, hiding my discomfort at the contact. I wasn't really a touchy-feely person.

He finally stepped back and released me when Mal spoke, "Or the day you show five peoples where the bathrooms are."

Ben chuckled nervously, asking, "A little bit over-the-top?"

"A little more than a little bit."

He looked back at me, as if for confirmation, and I raised both eyebrows in a way meant to convey that yes, it was way over-the-top.

 _Take it down a notch._

Ben laughed again. "Well, so much for my first impression."

His girlfriend Audrey didn't seem to like him being nice to us, and chose that moment to interrupt, speaking to Mal.

"Hey! You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you? Yeah, you know what, I totally don't blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff."

 _Way to make everything uncomfortable_.

She for some reason felt the need to continue. "Oh, my mom is Aurora, Sleeping-"

"-Beauty!" Mal cut her off, obviously peeved. "Yeah, I've heard the name. You know, and I totally do not blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the whole world but my mother to their stupid christening."

 _Burn_.

Audrey laughed, not even trying to sound sincere, and replied, "Water under the bridge."

"Totes."

The forced laughter was really starting to get on my nerves now.

I decided to give my two cents.

I looked at Audrey. "I think the story of your parents is really beautiful," I told her with fake sincerity.

She flashed me a bright smile, which quickly faded as she heard the rest of my sentence.

"Except for the creepy fact that your dad kissed an unconscious woman."

The four kids beside me cracked up, and Carlos even reached around Evie and slapped my shoulder in what I guessed was approval. Ben looked downright disturbed, as if he had never thought about it that way before, and now wished he hadn't been listening to me.

Needless to say, my comment stopped all conversation at that point. We all stood quietly for a few moments, before Ben had had enough.

He clapped his hands together loudly, and announced, "Okay, time for the tour!"

He swung out his hand and features to the school behind him, turning and walking toward it. Ben began to talk about the history of Auradon Prep, and I once again stopped listening.

We all followed behind him in a line, and as we stopped in front of the statute I'd noticed earlier, I found myself standing between Jay and Carlos. Ben clapped twice, and the statue morphed from a regular-yet-regal looking an to the Beast.

Carlos must have considered that to be close enough to a dog, because he let out a yelp and attempted to jump into my arms, but I immediately dropped him onto the ground.

New friends or not, that wasn't going to happen.

"Ow" he mumbled, standing and rubbing the hip that broke his fall.

Ben smiled and tried to reassure him. "Carlos, it's okay. My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man, to remind us that ensuring is possible."

As soon as his attention was away from us, without looking away from our tour guides, I dropped my voice and told him "Touch me again, and Cerberus might just have to pay you a visit."

I didn't stop to watch his reaction, and followed Ben and Audrey into the school. The inside was furnished with light brown wood. There were two staircases on either side of the door we had just entered through, and a fancy chandelier hanging above our heads.

Ben called to a boy in a band uniform named Doug, and recruited him to finish our tour and help us with our new schedules.

Doug was nice enough, but everyone here had the strange habit of introducing themselves not by their name, but by the name of their parents.

 _Apparently that's all that matters here. That'll make things fun._

He informed us that we would be taking some "remedial goodness" class. And it was made just for us, how considerate.

Doug finally took us to where our dorms were. We would be staying in a separate wing than all the other students. He told us it was because we came into the school year late, but I was pretty sure everyone felt safer at night knowing we were on their other side of the castle.

The boys' room was on the right side of the hallway, and there were two girls' rooms on the left. I immediately bolted for the one farthest down the hall, yelling, "Dibs!" as I went.

There was no way I was sharing a room. Not happening. Besides, Evie and Mal would probably rather room with each other than with me.

I jumped into the room and slammed the door behind me, not really caring how rude it was at that point.

When I looked at my room, it was with horror. Everything was pink. Everything.

Don't get me wrong, pink is a fine color... for other people. For me? Not so much. Having lived underground basically my whole life, I was accustomed to dark surroundings.

This room was bright and sunny, and my eyes were already starting to hurt. I hurried over to the windows and shut the curtains, trying to block some of the light. Unfortunately, the curtains were also pink, and did little to help.

I decided that later, when I found out where everything is this gigantic school was, I'd find something to hang over the windows, because this was not going to work for me.

I was returning to my room, my arms loaded down with heavy sheets and books.

I had taken some time to let the reality of my situation sink in, and then headed out to find what I needed. Once I was in the hallway, I remembered that I had no idea where anything was. So I wondered around until I finally came across someone, and thank goodness that someone happened to be Fairy God Mother. I don't know if anyone else would've helped me, or just sent me wandering for hours.

People didn't seem to like us much here, and they seemed determined not to give us a chance to prove their expectations wrong.

After getting directions to both the laundry and the library, I was now content and ready to redecorate my room.

The only problem was getting back to my room. I wasn't exactly sure where it was, and it was very hard to see over all the books I had.

Fortunately, at that moment, I ran smack into someone and toppled over, sheets and books and all.

I broke my fall with my hands, sacrificing the books to save my face. I didn't even bother looking up, figuring that whoever knocked me over did so on purpose and would just keep walking. I was quickly trying to gather my book back up when blue-clad legs knelt on the ground next to me and began re-folding my sheets.

"I am so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going." That would be Benjamin. "Here, I'll help you get back to your room."

He stood back up, my pristinely folded sheets over one arm, the other being held out to me. I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. I vent down to grab my books, and thanked him.

"It's no problem, it was my fault, I should've been paying more attention." I tried to take back my sheets from him, but he held them out of my reach. "Don't worry, I'll help you get all this back to your dorm."

 _No thanks, pretty boy_.

I didn't want him following me, and maybe even trying to talk to me. I'd had enough of other people for the day. "Oh, thanks but I'm fine. Really, it's no problem, I'll just take those back..." I reached again, but he snatched the sheets away once more.

Giving me a doubtful look, he asked, "Do you even know how to get back to your dorm from here?" He took my silence as an answer, and smiling, said, "See, you need my help. Let's go."

I reluctantly followed behind him, paying more attention so I wouldn't need directions again.

"So, what kind of books did you get?"

 _And here comes the small talk_.

I really didn't want to engage in small talk, so I gave the worst answer I could think of. "Yes."

I couldn't see his face since I was following behind him, but by the way he said, "Okay...?" I would guess he was confused.

Thankfully, my plan worked, and he didn't try to speak to me again until we reached my door. He opened it and held it for me and I walked over the threshold and tossed the books onto my bed. Not wanting to be rude, he waited outside the door for me to take the sheets from him.

I grabbed the handle, ready to close the door. "Thanks for the help," I said as a clear dismissal.

He smiled ( _he smiles a lot_ ) and waved a hand at me. "No problem. And if you need anything, just come find me and I'll try to help if I can."

"Okay."

I shut the door and turned back to my room, grabbing my new sheets and getting ready to make things gloomy.

 _Just the way I like it_.

I lay in my bed, holding a book above my head in a way that would eventually have me dropping it onto my face.

We had been given such little warning before we left, I had forgotten to pack a few books to read during my free time. Luckily, the school had a magnificent and beautiful library. Which was really not surprise. After all, Queen Belle was greatly involved in building the school. I had browsed around for a few minutes, looking at each of the sections, before coming across one labeled "The History of Auradon". I had taken a few books detailing the round-up and detainment of the villains, the setup of the government, and a novel solely about the ruling family.

I had just finished the fifth chapter of "Capturing Cruelty" when the faint noise of voices reached my ears. I quietly stood from my bed and tip-tied over to my door, hoping to hear the conversation. Pressing my ear up to the wood, I heard what sounded like all four of the others, talking hurriedly and in hushed tones.

"Well maybe we should ask her. She could be a good help, and another pair of eyes can't hurt."

That was Evie. Even with her soft tone, I could still recognize her voice.

"But we can't trust her. We all spoke with our parents together, but we have no idea what her father told her. Maybe he gave her her own mission, maybe he didn't tell her to do anything! We can't take a chance. If we go now and hurry, we could be out of here by tomorrow!"

"Mal, come on. We don't know her well, but she's one of us. She wouldn't rat us out. Let's just ask her to help and let her decide."

That voice belonged to one of the boys.

There was a slight pause.

"Fine," Mal said.

I jumped back from the door just as a knock sounded, and waited a moment before answering. Hopefully they wouldn't suspect me of eavesdropping.

As the door opened, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos came into view. They all stood in the hallway, glancing from side to side quickly and often, as if they were in a hurry or trying to go undetected.

"What do you want," I asked. I already knew the answer (sort of), but they didn't know that.

"We came to ask if you would like to help us with something," Evie said, and smiled slightly at me.

I looked at each of their faces, all holding guilt and nervousness, and replied "Whatever it is, I'd rather not be involved. Good night."

I promptly slammed the door in their confused faces and went back to my book.

 _No way I'm getting involved in suspicious activities my first night here. You guys have fun_.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just a quick little note before the chapter. I noticed that my summary is a bit misleading, and if read the wrong way, implies that Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos won't redeem themselves. They will. What I meant by that was Mal wouldn't get a romantic relationship with Ben after the love potion gets washed away. That's where my OC comes in. I just wanted to clear that up for anyone who might have been confused.**

Chapter 3

I was on my way outside, looking for my locker.

It had been a long day already, and I still had more classes to attend. Most of the ones I had already been to I had discovered, to my dismay, that I shared with Carlos. He had walked into the classroom almost late, smiled when he saw me, and bee-lined for the seat closest to me. It wasn't that bad, really. At least I could sit next to someone who didn't spend the whole class glaring holes at me. No, Carlos just spent the whole time chit-chatting. While I was actually trying to pay attention and learn, Carlos had made it his personal mission to talk about literally anything other than the topic at hand.

 _We've been here one day, how does he have so much to talk about anyway?_

It was the same routine for every class we shared.

I glanced down at the small piece of paper in my hand, checking that I was headed in the right direction. It had my locker number, combination, and general location on it, and I really didn't want to lose that. Thankfully, some benevolent force decided to cut me some slack, so I found that my locker was the one immediately to my left. I was on my second attempt to open the stupid thing when I felt someone step up beside me and speak.

"Well, look at this. Seems like we're locker neighbors. How crazy is that?" Ben. Of course. I could hear the smile in his voice, leading me to believe that he probably did this on purpose.

I turned to him and gave him the best sarcastic smile I could. "Wow, what a coincidence! Our lockers are _right next_ to each other." I tilted my head for a moment, then went back to struggling with my locker.

After a few more pathetic attempts, Ben's laughter was getting annoying. Without looking at him, I asked grumpily, "Are you just gonna stand there laughing at me, or are you gonna be the chivalrous prince and help?"

He held out his hand for the paper I still held, and I surrendered it to him, stepping to the side so he could reach the lock. Reading from the paper, he put the numbers in, and my locker popped open easily.

"Okay, how did you do that?"

"Well, next time, it will help if you turn the knob a different direction for each number."

It was that easy? Gee, I wish they had written that down, too. It would've saved me time, and the embarrassment of not even being able to open a locker on my own. I put my books away, happy I wouldn't have to carry them anymore, and shut my locker door. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mal to my left, standing at her graffitied locker.

Ben threw me a smile, saying. "See you later," before walking toward her.

"Hopefully not," I muttered under my breath. I walked back inside, dreading the fact that I still had more classes to go to.

The main thing I had learned so far was that the phrase "safety in numbers" did not apply to this school. The five of us from the island tried to stick together as much as possible in between classes and at lunch, hoping it would discourage some of the nasty looks we were getting from turning into nasty actions. For the most part, it worked. No one tried to kill or maim us, but they didn't hesitate to stick their feet out as we walked by, or throw wadded-up pieces of paper at our turned backs. Either they thought we didn't notice, or they didn't care. I would bet the latter. It was all so amazingly childish, I more than once had to stop myself from outright laughing in someone's face. I didn't think that would help the situation.

By the end of classes, I was ready to punch almost everyone at that dumb school right in their pretentious faces, and around ten students had been magically glued to their chairs thanks to Mal.

As a group, we trekked back to our section of the castle, eyes constantly moving, looking for a threat. We reached our rooms, and I went for my door, but before I entered, I turned back to the others and gave what I hoped was a somewhat encouraging smile. Today had been rough, and we only had each other. I knew I was the odd one out, but I was still grateful to be included in the group, even if it was just for protection.

They each returned my smile, Carlos even giving me a little wave. I didn't want to admit it, but he was slowly starting to grow on me. Slowly.

I turned back to my room and headed inside, thankful to finally be alone again. Immediately I headed for my bedside table, grabbing up my stack of books from yesterday's trip to the library. Today had been a bad day, and the best way to deal with a bad day is to just pretend it never happened. And what better way to do that than by immersing myself in the riveting history of the ruling family.

Too tired to move to my chair now that the books were firmly in my grasp, I sat down on the floor and scooted a bit to the side, my back now resting against baseboard of my bed. Not the most comfortable position, but I was too lazy to be picky. Selecting the book I wanted, I set the other two on the ground next to me.

I had only been reading for about an hour when I heard a knocking on my door. Angry about being interrupted, I shut the book with a _slap,_ looked up _,_ and said louder than neccessary, "Who is it?"

A voice sounded from the other side, "It's Ben."

"Crap!" I muttered, looking at the book currently held in my hands. I frantically shoved it into the stack beside me, right in between the other two books.

 _Now that that's settled._

"The door is open," I replied, indirectly inviting him in.

He opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind him. He stood there for a moment, unsure what to do.

I sighed and said, "You can sit down, Ben. That's what chairs are for."

He laughed nervously, his cheeks coloring, and, instead of sitting in a chair like I had suggested, took a seat next to me on the floor.

 _Wow. The prince of Auradon, sitting on the floor. Who'd have thought?_

"So, Andrea, I just stopped by to see how your first day went? Well, your first day of classes. Technically your first day was yesterday but you didn't really have a chance to meet anyone, so I figured that today would count as your official first day and I saw you earlier but -"

"Ben," I cut him off, "I get it. My first day was fine I suppose. Sure, I got a few dirty looks, but no one actually did anything to permanently damage me, which counts as a win in my opinion."

He looked down at the ground then, shame for his classmates showing on his face.

"I'm really sorry about them."

I was now officially fed up with this.

"Don't feel like you need to apologize, and don't be nice to us out of pity or anything. You're the reason we're here, you don't owe us anything else," I stated grumpily.

 _He really needs to give this a rest. I know that no one wants us here, we all know. But for some reason he insists on keeping up this facade of niceness just because he's the prince._

Ben's head shot up then, and he hurriedly assured me, "No, no, it's not pity! I wanted you guys to come here and be given a second chance! Since it was my idea, it _is_ my fault that they're treating you badly. I just wish that they would give you guys the opportunity to prove that you deserve to be here just as much as we do."

His voice was so sincere when he said that, I wasn't quite sure what to do. He had been looking me directly in the eyes when he had spoken, and once he had stopped talking, I quickly directed my gaze down to my lap.

That speech made me think. Hard.

 _The prince is sitting on the floor next to me, telling me he's sorry that people hate us. He genuinely feels bad._

Everyone I had the displeasure of meeting today had been outwardly disproving and menacing to me. I had just assumed that, despite his nice act yesterday, deep down the prince felt the same way. I mean, why wouldn't he? After all, it had been his father who imprisoned us on that island for all those years. I had honestly believed his decree to be some show of power, an example to everyone of what he was capable. Now, it was quite clear that my original assumptions were as wrong as they could possibly be.

I decided in that moment that, no matter what, I would try my best to befriend Ben. He was the only person here who had attempted to even be civil to me, and I owed it to him to repay the favor.

I sat there completely still for a few more seconds, wondering how I should go about saying what I wanted to say. I had never actually tried to be nice to someone before. Sure, I had been generally uncaring, and at best civil, but never outright... nice.

"Wow," I paused again, and spoke once more, "Um, thank you? Yes, thank you. And, ya know, don't feel bad about the others. It's only been a day. If they do warm up to us, it'll probably take a little longer."

I wasn't sure why, but I felt the need to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, and that none of this was his fault.

 _I blame his puppy-face._

I met his eyes again, and saw him smile brightly at me. I couldn't help but return it.

Ben turned his head to look around my room. His eyes lingered on my pile of to-be-returned library books, and reached over to grab the one I had hidden in the middle.

As he held it up to me with a smirk, I began to panic.

 _Oh no. No no no no no no. No. I promise I'm not stalking you!_

"Well well Andrea, reading up on me?"

I blushed and stuttered, and attempted to grab the book from his hand. Before I could close my hand around it, Ben reached his arm back, away from me, and it was out of reach.

Unfortunately such an action also had me much closer than I wanted to be to anyone, let alone someone so attractive.

 _Whoa, no. Stop it. He's just being nice and trying to make friends. Slow it down._

I flinched back, and made a sad face to hide my embarrassment at our close proximity. Ben laughed again, and I decided it was time for damage control.

I crossed my arms and said, irritated, "I wasn't stalking you or anything. Besides, I didn't even finish it, you and your family are quite boring, really."

"Oh really?" he asked, a smile evident in his voice.

"Yes. Really," I retorted quickly, stubbornly. My cheeks had returned to their normal color, and I didn't feel as uneasy as before.

"Okay, alright, I'll drop it. It looks like you've been doing a good bit of reading. I didn't get the chance to ask yesterday, since you weren't really in a talking mood, but what do you think of the library?" He watched as my eyes lit up in excitement.

I couldn't help it really. I loved reading, and that library was massive. I had clamped down on my enthusiasm yesterday in the hallway with him, but now there was no reasonable excuse not to show it.

"Oh man, it's fantastic! One shelf holds more books than were on the island total. I already know I'm going to spend a lot of my free time either here reading, or there reading."

He seemed happy that I approved of at least one thing at the school.

"It is a great library. My mom was the driving force behind it, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Have you found the reading corner yet?" Ben asked, and I frowned on confusion.

"No, I haven't been back since yesterday. There's a reading corner?"

"Yeah," he replied, "It's sort of hidden, but once you know where it is it's easy enough to find. I'll show you where it is sometime."

Ben smiled at me again, showing off his perfect teeth.

 _You really need to stop doing that, Ben. Seriously dude, who smiles that much?_

"You know what, I just might take you up on that."

 **A/N: So, there it is! This is a bit later than I wanted to post this, but I'm slowly losing momentum with this story. It's getting harder to write, but your favorites/follows/reviews really helped! I just feel like I have to literally force the words out, where before it just came naturally. Maybe it's the stress of looking for a job? I'm not really sure, but like I said, reviews really help motivate me. They remind me that I started this story, and I owe it to you guys to finish it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you like it.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: New chapter, yay! Thanks to biankies and lovinurbuks for reviewing and inspiring me to write more.**

 **So, I just wanted to explain why writer's block is so bad for me. When I write, it's very unstructured. Basically, I think of a scene in my head, and I write it down quickly. Then, when I have enough scenes for a chapter, I go through to edit and fill in some spots, and then I give it to you guys. My inspiration usually hits at midnight, which is why my chapters are released so late (or early). But if I don't have inspiration, there are no scenes, and nothing to edit, and nothing to publish. This also might explain why my writing style may change during a chapter, because I write some scenes way ahead of time. The scene where Ben and Mal get back from their date has been written for weeks.**

 **Sorry that was so long, story time!**

Chapter 4

"Carlos! Let me in right now!"

I was banging on his and Jay's door, ready to kick it down if need be. I didn't care that it was eight in the morning, this was urgent. From inside, I heard Carlos yell, "Jay, no!" before the door swung open. In an instant, Carlos had dived to the floor and curled up in fetal position. I pushed my way into the room and turned my head, looking around.

"So," Jay began, "What brings you here at this hour?"

"I heard Carlos got a dog and I want to pet it."

Hearing my words, Carlos slowly uncurled his body and stood from the floor. "So, you aren't here to kill me?"

I have him a death glare. "If you don't let me see your dog, I might be."

He quickly stuck both hands in the air as a show of surrender and called, "Dude! Here boy!"

A small, shaggy dog bounded out from the corner.

 _So freaking cute._

I immediately fell to my knees next to him and began to pet him. With a name like "Dude", I assumed the dog was a boy.

Carlos looked on in confusion as I played with his dog. "Why were you ready to break down my door for this?"

"I miss my dog, Cerberus," I told him.

And it was very true. It's sad to say, but my dog was my best friend on the island (sure, I had resolved to make that Ben's new position, but that would take a bit more time). We used to go everywhere together, and he basically lived in my room. Cerberus would bark at people when they tried to come near me, and back when Carlos was still ridiculously afraid of him, would chase him around for fun.

Come to think of it, I missed home a lot. Being here provided a great opportunity to learn, but that was easily outweighed by the hostile atmosphere we were forced into everyday. I missed my nice, gloomy room. I missed our cave of a house. Most of all, I missed my dad.

He was the one person who always had my back. He was always in my corner rooting for me, no matter what I was doing. And he gave the best advise. If he were here, he'd probably say something profound yet extremely sarcastic about the situation. Sarcasm was his forte.

I assured myself that I wouldn't have to miss home for long. We'd do something wrong, make just one tiny mistake, and they'd throw us back into the prison island.

Carlos knelt next to me and sighed, drawing me back to the present. "I can't believe I used to be so terrified of him."

I laughed, "Well, to be fair, he does have three heads. Not exactly the most inviting-looking dog."

He smiled and agreed, "True. Well, anytime you want, you can come play with Dude. I'm sure he won't mind all the attention."

I turned my head to him in surprise and smiled.

 _I suppose I do have a friend here_.

Throughout the day, I had seen Ben a few times, walking down the hallway or in a class. I had tried my best to be as friendly as possible. He seemed confused at my sudden change in behavior, but happy about it nonetheless.

I had tried to see him at our lockers and wish him good luck for the game later, but no such luck. As soon as I had reached my locker, I looked out onto the grounds to see Jay dragging Ben off somewhere, Mal, Evie, and Carlos in tow.

 _Oh well, I can talk to him after the game I guess._

There were still a couple of hours to go before the Tourney game. Most of the players, such as Carlos, Ben, and Jay were down at the field, practicing and warming up. After hearing the fore next to mine slam shut, I knew that the girls had returned from whatever adventure they had all been on earlier.

Currently, I was laying on my bed and, in typical Andrea-fashion, reading. I had read so much in the short time we'd been there, I felt my eyes were going to fall out of my head. I wanted to read as many of these books as possible before we were inevitably sent back home.

I let myself get lost in the book, and was only pulled out of the story by a knocking on my door.

I already knew it was Mal and Evie, there to tell me it was time for the game. I stood quickly, bookmarking my page, slipped on a pair of shoes, and answered the door.

We made our way into the crowd and situated ourselves near the top of the stands. I, not being a fan of small and cramped spaces, had pushed my way to the end of the bleachers, to the left of Evie.

I looked down onto the field and could see our team warming up for the game. Carlos and Jay were stretching their arms across their chests, while Ben was jumping up and down frantically.

 _Someone's excited._

As I watched, he kept shooting glances up into the stands, apparently looking for someone. His eyes locked on someone close to me and he smiled. I followed his gaze to see Mal looking like a deer in headlights. Evie was leaning close to her, whispering in her ear with a smile. She quickly quieted down when she noticed my inquisitive gaze, and gave a smile as the game started.

Our team, dressed in the signature royal blue, was up against a school sporting a deep green uniform.

 _Wait a second._

 _If all the royals and generally notable people go to Auradon, who the hell is at that other school?_

I shrugged off my confusion and returned my attention to the game. It was surprisingly easy to follow even though I had never heard of it before. The part I liked best was the kill zone. It must've been fun shooting things at the players as they ran down the field.

 _I wonder how you get that job? I'll have to look into it._

By the time the game had almost ended, I was standing and cheering along with the rest of the school. We were currently tied with the green school since their goalie had blocked Ben's shot. If I had been in a seat, I would've been on the edge of it.

"Wait," Evie said from beside me, "They're putting Jay in! And... Carlos?"

All three of us knew that Carlos wasn't the best at sports. Sure? he was fast. I had seen him run at light speed on the island to escape Cerberus (he just wanted to play), but I wasn't sure that qualified him as a good player.

I smiled and cheered anyway. "Go, Carlos!"

He turned and gave me a nervous smile and a thumbs-up before Jay dragged him onto the field.

It didn't take long for me to figure out Jay's tactic - use Carlos as a meat shield. Admittedly, it was working quite well.

It all came down to the final seconds, and Jay set up Ben to take the winning shot. Someone fifty miles away could've known he made it by the deafening roar the crowd let loose.

The announcer was attempting to wrap up the game, but Ben snatched the golden microphone out of his hands and jumped up onto the platform.

He looked around at the crowd, and we all stared back in anticipation.

"Gimme an 'M'!" he shouted.

"M!" the crowd roared back, without my voice joining.

There was no way I was going to be a part of this.

"Gimme an 'A'!"

"A!"

"Gimme an 'L'!"

"L!"

"What's that spell?"

 _Gee, I don't know, I've never seen a word with more than two letters._

"MAL!"

 _Yikes_.

Ben gripped the golden microphone tighter and announced "I love you Mal. Did I mention that?"

Wait, wasn't he dating that girl Audrey? I took a moment to look around for her, and spotted her among the other cheerleaders. She looked pretty upset, and stormed off the field. A reasonable reaction for someone who had just been on the receiving end of a surprise break-up.

I turned my head to glance at Mal, the lady of the hour apparently. She stood in the stands beside me, dumbfounded as Ben began to sing.

Yes.

He was singing.

 _Is this really necessary? I think he got his point across already. Wait, is he just making this up?_

If he was just performing a musical number off the top of his head, then, despite the absurdity of it all, it was quite impressive.

I mean the chorus was just him spelling out the word "ridiculous", but still. Impressive.

I had to admit, Ben had some good dance moves. Why wasn't he a cheerleader?

It was near what I assumed to be the end of the song, and three of the players threw Ben into the crowd. Thankfully, the crowd had been ready, and caught him. Ben crowd-surfed on his stomach to Mal, who already held the jersey he'd thrown at her. He finished his song, out of breath, and leaned down to kiss her. She quickly pulled away, but he just laughed.

That's when it really hit me, what was going on. The absurdity of it all had kept me in shock for a while, but disappointment quickly came crashing over me.

 _Why am I so upset? This is crazy, I should be happy for Ben and Mal_.

But I wasn't.

Despite not knowing _why_ I was upset, I still couldn't stay and watch that. I quickly began maneuvering my way down the bleachers, attempting to escape the scene. I finally made it to the bottom, but not before hearing Ben ask Mal to attend his coronation with him.

Moving as quickly as I could, I headed back in the direction of the castle, hoping that no one was watching me leave. Turning back to check, I saw Carlos watching me, a questioning look on his face. I hastily whipped back around and bolted for the castle.

It was well after the game had ended, and I was aimlessly wandering around the halls, attempting to formulate some viable excuse for why I left early.

I had just ruled out the classic "I left the oven on" when I heard footsteps, and Carlos emerged around the corner.

 _Oh no_.

I shuffled to quickly leave the area, but I wasn't fast enough.

"Hey, Andrea," he called. I slowly turned back to him and forced a smile. He continued, "Why did you leave the game so fast?"

"Oh, uh." I racked my brain hurriedly. "I get uncomfortable in small spaces, and I had been there for so long, I needed to get away from all the crowd. I figured it would be better to leave early, and avoid everyone going back into the castle."

 _Man, am I good or what?_

Carlos nodded in understanding. "Oh, okay. At first I thought something was wrong, I was kind of worried."

"No, no, I'm fine now. Did I miss anything?"

His eyes lit up. "Yeah! The team voted Jay 'Most Valuable Player'. He is very proud."

"He should be, that's amazing!" I smiled, previous worries almost forgotten. Almost. "Well, I'm gonna head back to my room and get my homework done, I'll see you later Carlos."

I gave him a small wave, the turned to go back to my dorm.

Unfortunately, whatever benevolent force had been looking out for me yesterday was apparently off-duty today, and I ran into the one person I wanted to see the least.

"Hey, Ben."

Ben had a huge, goofy grin plastered on his face. He had changed out of his Tourney padding and was in a pair of basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

"So, what did you think?" he asked, happiness evident in his voice.

This of course brought back all the bad feelings I had managed to get under control.

Squashing my disappointment, I asked, "Did you practice that at all, or did you just come up with it on the spot? How did the rest of the team know it? You must've planned it, right?"

He just smiled at me for a second longer, then bounded off without a word.

"Alright," I sighed, "Good conversation."

 _Not_.

After all the commotion from the Tourney game, I sat in my room, a book in my hand.

Unlike all the other times, however, I wasn't reading. Staring at the pages, all I could think about was Ben's announcement at the game.

It all seemed very suspicious to me. I mean, he was dating Audrey, and from what I knew, he barely spoke to Mal. Yet, all of the sudden, he professed his love for her in front of the whole school? In song?

There was definitely something fishy going on.

 _No, no. Stop that, brain. That nagging feeling in my stomach is disappointment, not suspicion._

I had recently figured out that my hasty exit from the game was because I was jealous. I had, deep down, wished that if Ben were to break up with Audrey, that he would do it for me, not Mal. Yes, I had developed a teeny, tiny, minuscule crush on Ben. But who could blame me. He was literally perfect.

 _Just because I like him, doesn't mean I can't be happy for him. I made a promise to be the best friend ever to him, and no matter my own personal feelings, I will keep it._

 **Another A/N: I hope you guys liked it! Reviews will help me write faster, which means you get the next chapter sooner. I know all authors say that, but seriously. Something that takes two minutes of your time means a lot to me, even if it just says "good" or "bad"!**

 **And did you guys hear? They announced Descendants 2 officially! Yay! Maybe I'll continue this story into the next move?**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ahh! I can't believe I got so many reviews for that last chapter! Special thanks to biankies, The marauders21, lovinurbuks, MsRose91, and Guest for taking the time to let me know what you think. Thanks to you guys, this chapter is out really early!**

 **(Guest: I will answer your question in the bottom Author's Note)**

Chapter 5

It was only a couple of days after the Tourney event, and I was still in a bad mood. I had seen Ben several times since his proclamation of love for Mal, and making good on my promise, had attempted to talk to him; it was kind of hard to make conversation, though, because all he wanted to talk about was Mal.

Mal this, Mal that, Mal Mal Mal.

I was starting to hate that name. Not her (I wouldn't let my jealousy go that far), just her name.

Each time the topic of conversation fell on her, I would quickly leave, making up some ridiculous excuse as to why I had to go. Let's just say, the conversations didn't last very long.

I was proud of myself for making the effort, though. I never shot Mal any dirty looks, because really, that wouldn't help anything. I just avoided her at all costs.

Classes had just ended, and I was on my way to my favorite place.

I had just stepped into the library when I heard the sound of distant shuffling. Trying my best to stay quiet, I sneaked through the isles on my left, hearing the noise get louder as I walked. It seemed to be coming from around the corner, where I knew the library kept all the maps and atlases.

 _That's weird. Who cares about maps if you've lived here your whole life?_

I poked my head around the end of the bookshelf and saw Ben, his back to me, frantically going through worn-looking maps.

 _Oh, thank goodness, someone I can actually stand being around. And by that I mean someone I really, really enjoy being around._

I no longer felt the need to maintain my stealth, and quickly closed the distance between us, coming to stand slightly behind him. Ben was so engrossed in his hunt for some specific map that he didn't notice my approach.

"Hey Ben."

Instead of jumping like I expected him to, he only tilted his head slightly in my direction, not looking away from the maps, but acknowledging my presence.

I pressed on, trying to make conversation. "So hey, we're both in the library at the same time. Maybe you could show me that reading corner? I've been wondering about it ever since you mentioned it before."

"Sorry, I can't, I'm very busy with something."

Squashing down my slight disappointment, I swallowed and said, "Oh that's fine, I understand, you're busy." I turned on my heel, ready to leave when his voice stopped me.

"Actually," he said, "You could help me!"

I turned back around, happy to be included in whatever he was doing. "Of course, what are you looking for?"

Ben's face was serious as he said, "I need to find a map of the land around the school. I know the enchanted lake is around here somewhere, but I can't exactly remember where. I just want my date with Mal to be perfect, ya know? That's the perfect spot. Oh, and I'm kind of in a hurry, because the date is tomorrow."

I froze.

His date with Mal. I mean, they were pretty much an item now, after he asked her to be his date to his coronation. What did I expect?

Judging by the dread that engulfed me, not this.

My stomach knotted. The small consolation I had gotten from being included in his search had vanished, and in its place the heavy weight of embarrassment dropped into my stomach.

Not realizing how long I had been standing there, saying nothing, I jumped when Ben's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Andrea?"

My face burned. "Actually, I can't help, I just remembered. I... promised Carlos that I would help him with his homework! Yes, so, I-I really can't stay, sorry. But good luck with your d-date." I choked out the last word before turning and practically fleeing from the library, Ben's concerned gaze following me for a moment, before going back to the papers before him.

I couldn't think. I was madly dashing through the hallways, nearly knocking people over in my mad rush to my room.

 _Flee, flee, flee!_

Arriving at my dorm, I slammed my door open, slammed it shut again, and threw myself onto the bed, upset (and exhausted from all that physical activity).

I breathed in deeply.

 _Okay, okay. Calm down. You have until tomorrow to compose yourself and look happy for Ben and Mal. Just avoid them until they leave for the Enchanted Lake._

Yes, I liked that plan. The best way to deal with a problem? Just avoid it.

Now with a solid game plan, I turned onto my side and grabbed a book, reading until I feel asleep.

I had spent most of the day with Evie outside at the picnic tables. It was a very beautiful day, the sun shining brightly and birds chirping annoyingly from the trees. Having spent so much of my time yesterday cooped up in my room, avoiding everyone, I had decided to take a much needed journey outside. On my way to the tables, I had run into Evie, sketchbook in hand, and we sat down to do our activities together.

The sound of scratching and scribbling was constant as she transferred her latest fashion breakthrough down onto paper. I would peek over every so often to catch a glimpse of her work, but she would squeak and jerk the book closer to her body, shielding it from my sight.

I was spending my time reading. Or at least, trying to. My mind was racing with thoughts.

Evie and I were waiting on the same thing, though I wasn't sure if she was aware of it or not. Evie was waiting in excitement and anticipation. I was more apprehensive and dreadful.

We were waiting for Mal to come back from her date with Ben.

At this point, I had admitted to myself that I did indeed have a crush on Ben (after our run-in at the library, there was no denying it) and that it was not, as I had hoped, just a small one; however, I had brushed it aside, reasoning that it would go away soon, I just had to wait.

But I was still upset about the date. Not quite to the extent I had been yesterday, however, so that was a plus.

 _Look, I'm getting over it already!_

I was assuming that Evie couldn't wait to pounce on Mal the moment she returned and pry out every single detail from her. The way her scribbling got more aggressive as time went by seemed to prove me correct. She would pause to think, and fill the silence with the tapping of her pencil against the tabletop. About an hour before Mal arrived, Evie began tapping her foot.

 _Those boots are so noisy. How am I supposed to read like this?_

So I gave up on reading and settled for watching Evie draw. I wondered why she wasn't in art class. I supposed it could be because she just didn't have time, but with talent like hers, she should make time. In fact, I'm sure the teacher would have pulled any strings necessary to get Evie into her class, had she been aware of the girl's potential.

When Mal finally did come back, she was alone, soaking wet, and looked quite miffed about something.

She plopped down next to me on the bench, set her arms on the table, and laid her head on them, groaning.

Evie immediately threw her pencil down and started her interrogation. "What happened, why do you look so upset?"

Mal slowly raised her head to look at Evie, and was about to answer when she suddenly turned to me and hesitated.

I caught on quickly.

I grabbed my book and stood from my seat, saying, "I will take that as my cue to leave. See you guys later."

I passed Jane as I walked away, and gave her a nod. We weren't really friends, so it would probably creep her out if I smiled.

As soon as I was too far away to make out their words, Mal began recounting the events of her date.

 _Man, now I really want to know what happened. And why is she all wet? I guess I'm not far enough in the loop to be privy to such confidential information. Oh well._

I had just reached the front doors of the school when I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do now. I didn't have to think long before deciding to head to the library. It was my go-to at that point.

In no hurry, I took my time walking there, observing the expansive hallways and beautiful paintings.

 _Too much money, man_.

As I turned the corner into one of the more central hallways, I saw Ben. A dripping wet and angry Ben.

And let me say this: there's always that one person who is super nice and friendly, and never gets upset or mad, and definitely never yells. Then one day something pushes them over the edge and they get angry. Angrier than normal people. And it's _scary_. Scary because they have always been so calm and level-headed.

That was Ben in that moment. I was slightly afraid to approach him and ask what was wrong, but I had resolved to be the best friend ever to him, and I was going to do so.

And I _really_ wanted to know what happened on that date.

I started slowly, as if I were approaching a wild animal (which, to be fair, with his lineage, was probably the safest way to go about it).

He was just standing in the hall, staring at one of the numerous paintings in the school, shoulders stiff and back rigid. This particular one was of the entire kingdom. It was more art-like than map-like, and didn't have any major locations or names on it. Just the beautiful scenery the kingdom is known for.

At first, Ben didn't even realize that I was there. I managed to sneak up right next to him, and still had to talk before he realized that he wasn't alone.

"Hey, Ben."

In a very comical fashion, he literally jumped into the air, and if I had been looking, I probably could've seen the hairs on the back of his neck stand up for a moment.

Ben turned so fast it's a miracle he didn't get whiplash, and once his eyes landed on me, he relaxed a bit.

"Oh, Andrea, don't do that." He attempted to smile and mask his anger, but it seemed empty compared to his normal fifty-watt grin.

At first, I wasn't quite sure how to go about asking him if he was alright. I didn't know if we were good enough friends to just come out and ask, but I was too impatient to wait for him to bring it up.

 _I want answers, let's do this the fast way._

"Ben, what's wrong? And don't try to act like its nothing, because I saw Mal on the way here. She's equally as wet, and equally as upset, so I'm guessing it's about the date?" No beating around the bush for me.

He paused, and looked around furtively, before telling me, "Lets go to the library. Knowing you, you were probably on your way there already, and it'll be a quiet place to talk."

Wow. Okay, this must be serious. I mean, I figured it was because Ben being mad probably never happens, but still. Serious.

I nodded my head in agreement. Whatever had happened, Ben seemed pretty messed up about it. And that made me angry.

Who would ever do anything to upset Ben? That's like kicking a puppy or something. You just don't do it.

 **A/N: And done. Sorry this one is kind of short, but I really wanted to give it to you guys as a thanks for all the reviews. I told you they help me write!**

 **I would love to hear what you guys think/hope is gonna happen!**

 **And the the Guest who asked if Carlos had a crush on Andrea:**

 **No, he doesn't. I can totally see how it seems that way, though! I don't really like relationship drama, so there won't be any love triangles or anything like that. I spent way more time developing Andrea's friendship with Carlos than I did (or will) with any of the other three original villains' kids. Honestly, I didn't intend for Andrea to become good friends with anyone except for Ben, but I just loved writing her and Carlos interacting, and it sort of happened on it's own.**

 **Thanks for reading and please review! With enough inspiration, I can can probably have the next chapter out before Halloween, and that's when things really get good!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: One more chapter before Halloween! Special thanks to HarleyQuinnSuperWhoLockHP, biankies, black-cherry-blossoms98, lovinurbuks, and Guest for reviewing!**

 **So, this is the first chapter where Andrea will really start to change things. I'm a bit nervous about that, and I'm not sure if I did a good job or not. Also, this is the first time Andrea is actually acting serious, so I hope it doesn't seem to out-of-character for her.**

 **As always, I hope you like it!**

Chapter 6

"Okay Ben, I was going to do this gently, but as your self-appointed best friend, there's no reason to. What the hell happened? And your explanation better include why both you and Mal are dripping wet."

Ben had grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall, into the library, and to the infamous "reading corner". At any other time, I would've been excited (one, because he was holding my hand, and two, because I was finally seeing the most secluded spot in the library). As it was, the story of Ben and Mal's date interested me far more than the corner.

But I had to admit, it was cute. We had come to what I assumed to be just the back left corner of the library; however, the place where the back wall was supposed to meet the left wall wasn't there. In its place was a hole, big enough for the average adult to squeeze through, but inconspicuous enough that I had never noticed it before.

Ben had pushed his body through the small opening, and before I could voice my discomfort in small areas, pulled me through behind him. The area on the other side was thankfully bigger than I had imagined. All four walls were lined with bookshelves teaching the ceiling. Opposite the door stood a small writing desk with an old-fashioned lamp and a fancy wooden chair. On the right side of the room, both corners held a plush blue chair (like the kind my dad sat in at home) and an end table with fake candles - obviously they wouldn't be real, this was a library. The floor was covered by a large intricate rug, and the chandelier overhead cast a warm glow over the whole room.

When we arrived, Ben had taken the plush chair closer to the door. Not letting him have any space, I grabbed the arms of the second chair and dragged it closer to his. I was 100% engaged in this story.

I stared him down until he sighed and answered, "You know, I'm pretty sure I get to pick who my best friend is, not you."

I had to roll my eyes. "That's why I said 'self-appointed'. Answer the question."

Ben's shoulders slumped in a very un-princely manner, and he looked at me to begin the retelling of what I had already named in my mind "the date that's gonna get someone punched in the face for upsetting Ben".

Long title, I know. I wasn't good at quick thinking.

"So, I guess I'll just start from the beginning - "

"A very good place to start," I interrupted.

He gave me a glare before continuing. "I decided to take Mal to the enchanted lake for our date. I thought it would be really romantic. Considering you've read most of the books in here, I assume you know that the enchanted lake has the ability to wash away all magic. We got there and everything was going well, and I decided to jump in the lake and swim for a while. You can imagine how surprised I was when the lake washed away the love potion shed given me."

 _Oh. Man, that really took a turn._

 _Plot twist._

"That actually makes a lot of sense."

Ben's incredulous explanation of "What?!" had me a bit worried that I had upset him.

"I just mean that you were acting pretty weird lately, so that explains why." At the worried look on his face, I assured him, "Don't worry, you didn't do anything bad. You just were kind of obsessed with Mal and -" I cut myself off.

No need to tell him that bit.

"And what? What did I do?"

 _Just blew me off, told me you liked Mal, and crushed my soul. No big deal._

I shifted uncomfortably, readjusting myself on my seat. I cleared my throat and said, "Nothing, I already forgot what I was going to say."

I couldn't look into his eyes knowing that was a lie.

"So," I said quickly in an attempt to make him drop the subject, "That doesn't explain why Mal was soaking wet, too."

He sighed at my topic change and continued his story. "After I realized what was going on, I was stunned. I guess I was in the water too long and Mal got worried, so she jumped in to try to rescue me. I told her I knew what she had done, and that's when she came clean. She told me all about this plot to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand at my coronation. I was understandably upset, and we came back here as quickly as I could drive."

"Wait," I said, narrowing me eyes, "She jumped in to save you? Into the _water_?"

He paused, unsure where I was going with this. "Uh, yeah, why?"

My eyes widened.

 _Man, someone was feeling selfless_.

"None of us know how to swim, Ben. She could've drowned, but she still tried to save you."

"You guys live on an island, how do you not know how to swim?"

I leveled him with a flat stare.

"Right. Barrier. Got it."

Silence followed. I knew he was upset, but I really needed to explain to him what their situation had been like.

"Listen Ben. You're upset and you have every right to be; but please, find a way to forgive them."

"Why?" He didn't seem angry at me for what is said, but genuinely confused as to why they deserved another chance.

I sighed and leaned forward. Time for a long story. "Their parents...it's hard to explain. All their lives, the only way for them to earn their parents' affection was through doing their bidding. They felt they had to be terrible people to deserve love. Your parents are the people who should love you no matter what, but theirs didn't. It was different for me," I said, thinking of my dad, and everything he's done for me over the years. "My father, he loved me no matter what. He supported me in anything I did, and that's made me who I am today. Mal and the others, had to earn love when it should've been given for free. Growing up like that is hard on someone. That's probably why they did this. They think it's the only way to make their parents love them."

I paused then, giving Ben a few moments to think over my words. His eyes were focused on his hands, clasped tightly in his lap. I put in one last thought to drive my speech home.

"They have already been through so much, so please don't make this any harder than it needs to be for them."

Ben looked at me then, his eyes piercing mine. "What do I do then, Andrea?"

 _Oh no, sad puppy is back. No no no._

I leaned forward more. "Talk to them. Give them the chance to explain everything, give them a chance to apologize. Show them that they deserve a better life where they don't have to earn love, a life they can have here. It's ultimately their choice, but make them want to choose good."

He nodded. "You're right, I'm the one who said they deserved a second chance and I meant it. Will you come with me, when I talk to them?"

"Of course."

"They'll most likely all be in Mal and Evie's room."

We were headed to see the others, and I was mentally preparing myself. I knew that if it came to a point where we couldn't agree, I would have to side with Ben, and by default, all the people at this school who had tried to make my life miserable. But it was the right thing to do.

 _Ugh, when did I become such a... a hero? Soon I'm gonna be putting myself in unnecessary danger for "the greater good" or some shit._

I shuttered at the thought. Doing the right thing is important, but heroes tend to go out of their way to get killed doing so.

Ben was walking beside me, and I could tell he was thinking over what he would say. He was such a genuinely good person, it still surprised me sometimes. Here he was, on his way to give them a third chance. I knew that, despite my earlier speech, if it were me I wouldn't have reacted this nicely, and I definitely wouldn't have given them another chance.

This just proved that Ben had what it took to be a kind and fair King.

We rounded the last corner and arrived at the door. From inside, I could hear talking, and knew that they were discussing the days events.

Ben took a deep breath, bracing himself, and knocked on the door. There was a pause. "Who is it?"

They were obviously being cautious, so when Ben looked to me in question, I held up a hand. "It's Andrea."

As soon as the door opened, I quickly added, "And Ben." It was too late for them to close the door on us, so we walked into the room. Jay, who had opened the door, backed up to join the other three on the right side of the room, near the beds. They were all either sitting on the floor or on a bed, and Jay reclaimed his place on the carpet, at the foot of Evie's bed.

They all looked at us (mainly Ben) apprehensively. I nudged him with my elbow, prompting him to speak. "About earlier... Mal, I'm sorry I got so angry. I want to give you guys a chance to explain what happened, the full story."

They all looked at Ben in surprise, and then looked at each other, no one wanting to start. I met Carlos's eyes, giving him an expectant look until he sighed.

"When we left the island, our parents told us that our number-one priority was to steal the wand and help them escape so they could take over the world."

Silence followed his words as Ben and I digested what he said. I had never been more glad that my father wasn't friends with their parents.

"But," Carlos continued, "I don't want to break them out. I like it here."

I smiled at him in thanks and he returned it. The others nodded their heads in agreement, and then Mal spoke up.

"I'm really sorry we gave you that love potion Ben. We shouldn't have screwed up your life like that."

Ben looked at her and granted her a small smile. "I'll forgive you, all of you, but only if you promise to make an effort at being good. You guys have a choice here to be whoever you want to be. Your parents aren't here, they can't force you to be someone you don't like. I know that ultimately the choice is yours," he said, glancing at me because that was totally my line, "but I really hope you choose to be good, to let yourselves be happy."

A heavy silence filled the room as they thought over Ben's words. After a few moments, Jay stood and walked over to stand in front of Ben.

"On the island, it was every man for himself. Here, I'm part of a team, and I've earned something, not just stolen it. I want to stay. I want to be good."

Ben and Jay smiled at each other as Carlos stood and walked over to us.

"There's no way I'm going to help my mom get off that island and have her hurt Dude. I choose good."

Evie was next.

"I'm sick of my mother telling me that I'm nothing without a prince. I'm done listening to her, and I don't need any boy to be happy. I choose good, too."

Finally it was Mal's turn. She stood slowly from her bed, and walked towards the rest of us hesitantly. She was probably still embarrassed about the love potion.

"All I've heard my entire life is that evil is the only thing I can be. That's all any of us have ever heard. But I don't want my mother determining my future. It's _my_ future, and this is _my_ decision, not hers. I choose good," she finished with a smile.

Ben smiled at all of us. We stood around for a moment more, everyone taking in the huge decision that had been made. Then, Carlos yelled, "Group hug!"

They all piled together, but I stood to the side.

"No, that's okay, I'll just be over here."

Jay's hand reached out from the mass of bodies and grabbed my arm, yanking me into the hug. I became squished between Ben and Evie.

 _On second thought, this isn't so bad_.

"I think it would be best if no one knew that this happened. I doubt they will be as understanding as you, Ben," I said after we had finished. "I assume you guys didn't tell anyone?"

They all shook their heads. "No," Mal assured me, "We are the only ones who know."

"And I only told Andrea, so we should be fine."

We all should've known that it wouldn't be that easy.

 **A/N: Tada, there it is. It seems a bit short to me, but a lot happens in this chapter.**

 **I hope you liked it! As I said last time, I would love to hear what you guys predict will happen, or what you maybe want to see happen. And if you have a question, feel free to ask!**

 **I just want to say thank you to you to every single person who has kept with this story and is still reading. If it wasn't for you guys, there is no way I would have had the confidence to continue writing.**

 **Anyway, have a Happy Halloween, and please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so sorry guys! I will give a full explanation as to why this took so long at the end of the chapter.**

Chapter 7

Word travelled fast at Auradon Prep, and by lunchtime, we were evil again.

During my first class, I had received several nasty looks. In my second class, someone went as far as tripping me on my way to my seat. Carlos had quickly helped me onto my feet and into my chair before I could punch that person in the face.

It wasn't until my third class that I realized what was happening. They had found out. Despite the fact that the whole love-potion situation was resolved, and despite our vow of secrecy, almost the entire school knew what Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and - by false association - I had done.

And, if they didn't know when lunch began, they definitely knew by the time it was over.

The five of us were sitting down at one of the picnic tables. Specifically, the one furthest away from all the other tables. With our heads close together, we whispered furiously.

"How the hell did they all find out?" I asked in a hushed tone. Sure, it wasn't a secret anymore, but we didn't need people listening in on _all_ our conversations.

Everyone's eyes snapped to Mal as she replied, "I don't know. We only talked about it on our dorm room."

"And out here," I added. They turned to me in confusion. "Well, when you came back from the date you made me leave so you could talk to Evie. What did you guys talk about?"

Mal hesitated guiltily. "How the plan was ruined."

Jay sighed. "Anyone could've heard you guys."

"We know!" Evie whisper-shouted. "This is our fault. We know."

"No, it's not your fault," I said. "Someone was eavesdropping on your conversation. No matter where you were talking, it's a violation of privacy. This is their fault."

"I just wish we knew who it was," Jay replied.

At that moment, I saw Audrey and Jane walking towards our table, a malicious glint in both their eyes. Something clicked in my mind.

"Guys!" I whispered frantically. "It was Jane! I passed her while I was heading in to the castle, and there was no one else outside other than myself and you two." I pointed at Mal and Evie. "And now, she's acting all buddy-buddy with Audrey. That can't be a coincidence, right?"

Evie shook her head. "We've only ever been nice to Jane, why would she do that to us?"

I didn't have time to answer as Jane and Audrey reached us, moving to stand at the end of the table. Audrey scoffed at us.

Everyone's expressions immediately darkened.

"What are you guys still doing here? I would have thought for sure you'd be sent back to that disgusting little island for what you did to Ben."

"Yeah," Jane agreed quickly, "But it won't be long, they'll be packing their bags soon." She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and began to walk off with Audrey.

"I'm gonna punch them both in the face." I made to stand up, but Mal stopped me.

"I have a better idea," she said as she pulled out her spell book. "Beware, forswear, undo Jane's hair."

There was a scream as Jane realized what was happening to her hair, and we all decided that it was a good time to hurry to our next class.

A few more horrendous classes later, and the five of us were all sitting on the floor of Evie and Mal's room. It was much safer to talk here, since most of the other students avoided this hallway.

Evie was sitting dejected at the foot of her bed. In her hands, she fiddled with sewing equipment. I was mildly concerned that she would prick her finger on the needle. We all knew the dangers of that.

Mal was next to her, flipping through her spell book. I had suggested that she look to see if it contained any spell to ward off eavesdroppers, or alert us if anyone came close. Mal had started the search strong, but now it was clear she was just flipping through, not even reading.

Not that I cared. We'd all had a pretty bad day.

Jay was closest to the door, as usual, messing with a watch he'd stolen during his last class. At first I had been disappointed in him, but when I learned it belonged to the boy who had tripped me earlier, I couldn't be mad. He totally deserved it. Jay made a promise that he would sneak the watch back into the boys bag during the next class, saying that he just wanted to make the guy nervous.

I was seated near Carlos so I could pet Dude. Unfortunately, even that cute little dog had sensed the tense atmosphere, and had curled up in Carlos's lap, out of my reach.

"I don't get it!" Evie exclaimed, frustrated with the silence. She threw her sewing supplies onto the floor. "Why would Jane do that to us? We never did anything bad to her, did we?"

Evie seemed quite hurt, and looked at the four of us with questioning eyes.

We all shook our heads as I said, "No, we didn't do anything to warrant this from her. But from what I've seen, Jane will do anything to be accepted. Even ruin our reputations and probably our chances of staying here."

Jay sighed. "At this point, I'd rather be back on the island than surrounded by these people."

"If we just leave and don't even try to fix this, we will never get another chance. Neither will our kids or our grandkids. Running away isn't the answer." I tried to think of something more to say, a way to fix things, but my mind was blank. I knew that it would be very hard now to earn back the kingdoms trust.

Thankfully, I was saved from having to speak more when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mal invited, already knowing the only person who would come to our dorms.

Ben stepped in, gently closing the door behind him. He sat down next to me on the floor, just like he had the first day we all arrived. Thinking back, I couldn't believe there was ever a time where I disliked Ben. We hadn't arrived very long ago, but so much had happened. It was crazy to me that I now considered him one of my best friends.

He gave a small smile as he took his seat. "I assume you all know what's happened?" We nodded our heads yes. "And I assume you've figured out who it was?"

"Jane," Carlos answered shortly. Ben nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry, I was hoping no one would know. I would tell you that everything will be fine, but honestly? I'm not sure it will be. My parents will be here tomorrow, and they'll find out what happened if they don't already know. I'm going to talk to them as soon as I can, but I don't think it will go well. They already thought my idea to bring you guys here was a mistake."

Forget our reputation. We had to prove everyone wrong for Ben's sake. We would be what determined if his first royal decree was a huge success or a huge failure. We couldn't afford to mess this up.

I looked around the room, and as I met eyes with Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay, I knew we all had the same thought.

After some time just sitting around and trying to cheer each other up, Mal and Evie basically kicked us all out. We said our goodbyes and headed to our rooms, but as Carlos and Jay's door shut, I noticed Ben hadn't left. He was standing in the hallway, waiting for me.

I opened my door and turned back to him expectantly. "What's up?"

Ben shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to you quickly."

I walked into my room and waved at him to follow. We sat on the floor, facing each other.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright. You got blamed and bullied all day for something you didn't do. I heard about that boy tripping you."

He seemed to get angry just thinking about it.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't worry, Jay stole his watch for me. And before you ask, yes, he plans on returning it. At some point."

Ben smiled at that.

 _Yay. Ten points to me for getting him to smile._

"Actually," I began, "I have a question. You said that your parents will be here tomorrow. Why?"

"Oh, yeah. Tomorrow is family day. Each year there is a day where the parents of each student come visit the school. There's great food and entertainment, and usually croquet. No one told you guys?"

"No," I replied sadly. "But why would they? It's not as if our parents can visit."

"You really miss your dad, huh?"

"Of course I do, he's my dad. He and Cerberus were all I'd had for years."

Ben gave me a questioning look. "Cerberus?"

"My dog. I miss him a lot. Carlos lets me play with Dude whenever I want, but it's not the same."

Placing a hand on my arm, Ben said, "I'm sorry."

I only shrugged. I just had to go and talk about sad things, making it all quiet and uncomfortable.

"So," I said quickly in an attempt to diffuse the silence, "Your coronation is soon, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he replied, happy to change the subject, "It's in just two days, actually. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"You're ready. I've never met anyone who deserves to be king more than you do. Sure, I haven't met many people who don't live on the Isle of the Lost, but still. You're ready."

Ben smiled at me in thanks.

 _I hope he knows that I mean it. I think 16 is a tad bit young to be in charge of an entire kingdom, but if anyone is qualified to do it, it's Ben._

"Speaking of my coronation, I wanted to ask if you would go with me?" The sentence got higher in pitch at the end, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

There was a pause as I comprehended what he'd just said.

Was he asking me to be his date?

I didn't want to get my hopes up, but it was too late. Already my mind had jumped to the possibility that he liked me just as much as I liked him

I must've taken too long to answer, because Ben quickly added, "As my friend, of course! It's just that with everything that's happened recently, I'd feel better if you were close to me...for support."

And just like that, my hopes were dashed.

 _This is why you shouldn't go jumping to conclusions, brain!_

I course he didn't like me. And even if he did, he wouldn't be worried about starting a relationship with his coronation in just two days. Ben had more important things to think about.

"Also, it's part of your responsibilities as my best friend," he added after my continued silence.

I forced a smile onto my face. "Of course I'll go with you. Why would I say no to the almost-King?"

"Great." Ben smiled and then checked the clock on my wall, a look of surprise on his face. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late. I have some things to take care of for family day, but I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood and made his way to my door, opening it as he bid me goodnight. I gave a small wave in return. As soon as the door shut, I let out a groan and flopped back onto my bed.

 _Well that was fun. And by fun I mean horribly awkward and disappointing._

 _Oh well. At least there'll be croquet tomorrow._

 **A/N: Again, I'm very sorry this took so long. It seems a bit short to me, but it's mainly just a chapter to set up the events for family day.**

 **So, as to why this took so long, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I got a job! The bad news is that this means it will be harder for me to find time to write. I've spent all week training, which is why it took me forever to write this chapter. Since I have a job, I will need to go to sleep at a reasonable time. Most of my inspiration comes at around 1 a.m. You see the problem.**

 **So, I have thought of something that might help the situation: if you ever feel I've taken way too long to post a chapter (say two weeks or something) just send me a message or leave a review to remind me. That will make it easier for me to keep track of when I should be posting new chapters.**

 **As always, thanks to biankies, lovinurbuks, black-cherry-blossoms98, and Guest for reviewing (And yes, that absolutely was a Sound of Music reference).**

 **I would like to ESPECIALLY thank That-Stubborn-Biotch for your review. I began writing this story because I was (as you've probably picked up by now) dissatisfied with the Ben/Mal relationship. I wanted to write an OC who would be a new love interest for Ben, but also be her own character. I didn't want her to just steal other characters' lines, I wanted her to have her own personality, and I wanted her to impact the events of the story. Your review showed me that I have accomplished at least a few of my goals :)**

 **Now that I can't focus most of my time on writing, it is more important than ever for you guys to review and keep me motivated. So** _ **please**_ **just take two minutes of your time to review. Thanks.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter first, Author's Note later.**

Chapter 7

Today was the day that all the royal parents would come to visit their kids at school. There would be great food, entertainment, and a game of croquet.

Thanks to the Queen of Hearts, I was totally going to win.

But what was supposed to be a happy day for everyone, wasn't a happy day for me. My dad was a villain, which meant he couldn't come visit me. Today just served as a reminder of everything I missed from home.

My sad reverie was broken by a knock on the door, and a voice. "Hey, Andrea, it's Ben."

"Come in."

He opened the door, but only a crack, and stuck his head into my room, and large smile on his face. Okay, weird.

"I have a surprise for you, I think you'll like it," he said, the excitement evident in his voice.

 _Oh boy_.

"You know," I began uneasily, "I really don't like surprises, and your excitement doesn't make me feel any be-"

Before I could finish, he swung the door open fully and a black, furry mass tackled me onto my bed.

"Cerberus!"

He was wagging his tail happily, all three heads nudging my hands, asking to be rubbed. I made sure to pay each one an equal amount of attention.

"How is he here? Why is he here?"

Ben chuckled and came to sit on my bed next to me, patting Cerberus on the back. "I know you can't have your dad here for obvious reasons, but Cerberus hasn't done anything wrong. So as Prince of Auradon I pulled a few strings and here he is."

Cerberus, being the smart dog he is, knew who reunited us, and decided to show his gratitude. He jumped up on Ben and started licking his face. And three tongues means three times the slobber.

I laughed as Ben tried to get Cerberus to settle down and just sit in his lap. After watching him struggle for a few more moments, I picked up my dog and set him on my legs. He laid down happily, like he used to do back on the island when it was time for bed. I scratched his back and looked at Ben.

"Thank you for this. It means a lot to me."

Ben laughed, his cheeks going pink. "It's no problem, you are my best friend after all." There was an awkward pause.

 _Still not past the best friend stage, huh?_

Oh well. He cared about me enough to do this for me, and I could definitely live with that.

"Unfortunately, he can't stay forever, he has to go back to the island tomorrow, but I thought one day with him was better than nothing."

In that moment, I did something I did not think I'd ever do to anyone who wasn't family. I reached over Cerberus, wrapped my arms around Ben, and hugged him. It was a bit awkward, since we were both sitting, but I didn't care.

His arms slowly came to rest around my waist as he hugged me back.

 _This is nice. Maybe being just friends with Ben won't be so bad_.

"Seriously?!"

I turned back to the boys standing behind me and swung my mallet victoriously onto my shoulder. "Pay up boys," I said in a smug voice.

"This isn't fair, you had to be cheating."

"You wish, Jay."

We had arrived earlier in the day at the field, all eager to see what exactly "family day" meant. Needless to say, our small group stuck out like a sore thumb. We had all tried our best to wear our least-threatening clothes in an attempt to blend in, but it didn't work very well.

Unfortunately, it had only been the sox of us in attendance. Ben had suggested that I leave Cerberus in my room. I had felt bad about leaving the little guy all alone for so long, but he could be a bit intimidating; and after the love potion story got out, we didn't need that.

So the five of us had watched Ben and his group perform their song - I know they practiced this one - while Mal had continued to shove an impossible number of strawberries into her mouth.

Seriously, how did she do that?

Anyway, after the performance, it was time for croquet. Ben, Jay, and Carlos had foolishly challenged me to a game. Unaware of my skill at the game, they accepted when I offered to make them a bet.

They were definitely regretting it now.

I held out my hand as they each slapped ten dollars into my palm, all of them wearing a dejected expression. Before I could close my hand around the money, Ben reached out and took back his ten dollars.

I scowled. "Wha-"

"Taxes," he cut me off with a smirk.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically.

I snatched the money (that I had earned fair and square) back and shoved the bills into my pocket before anyone else tried to take it back. And yes, my dress had pockets. Evie seriously was a genius fashion designer. She even added little blue accents to my mostly-black outfit. Though she wouldn't tell me what they were for, I assumed it was a nod to my dad's distinctive - yet now extinguished - flaming blue hair.

A commotion sounded from down the croquet field, pulling me out of my triumphant state.

The four of us exchanged a look and quickly headed over to see what all the fuss was about. As we neared, I could make out the figures of Audrey and Mal, and a much older, regal woman I didn't recognize. She and Audrey had hooked elbows, and by her age, I guessed she was most likely Audrey's grandmother.

We were too far still to make out what was being said, but it was very clear that an argument was in progress. When we finally reached the small group that had gathered, the older woman looked away, seeming upset. I made my way over to Mal, standing beside her as she went to comfort the woman; however, before she could even get a word out, Chad stepped in front of her, holding up a hand.

"No, stay away from her," he told Mal, as if she were intending to harm the woman. Mal flinched back in surprise and hurt.

"Don't do this Chad," Ben chimed in from beside me.

Chad scoffed. "Do what? They were raised by their parents, Ben! What do you think villains teach their kids, huh? Kindness? Fair play? No way."

Chad. Out of everyone at this school, he was my least favorite.

 _Time to step in_.

I stepped forward, positioning myself closer to Chad, and held my hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Listen, Chad," I began, having no intention of finishing. I planted my right foot steadily behind me, wound my arm back, and swung my fist directly at his nose.

I was pretty proud of myself, I have to say. For someone who'd never been in a fight, I managed a punch to the face well, knocking him onto his butt. He was stunned for a moment, clutching his nose (which was now bleeding - go me) before anger lit a fire in his eyes. He struggled to get to his feet again and out of the concerned grasp of Audrey.

I had stumbled back a bit from the sheer velocity of my punch, but Jay quickly reached to steady me from behind, and hand on each of my arms.

I hadn't really planned for what happened after I dished out justice. All of the adults were staring at not just me, but all of the villains kids. They were appalled at my actions, but not surprised.

 _Okay, but he totally deserved it. I'm not sorry._

It hit me then that I had only made things worse. Sure he got what was coming to him, but my actions only proved everyone here right: we were just like our parents in their eyes. I turned to Ben, ready to apologize for ruining everything for us and him, but he was still looking at his best friend, who had finally managed to stand back up.

 _Oh god. I just punched Ben's_ actual _best friend in the face. Oh god._

Ben's eyes hardened with determination, and he said, mainly to Chad, "I think you should go see the nurse." It was a very clear dismissal.

I leaned back to where Jay and Carlos were standing and whispered, "We have a nurse?"

The both just shrugged in response.

Chad straightened his jacket, trying to mend his shattered masculinity after being hit by a girl, and started toward the castle. "Fine, lets go guys." He, Audrey, and Lonnie began to walk away, Doug lingering behind. He seemed like he wanted to stay, sending Evie a forlorn look, before hurrying after the others.

Well that went swimmingly.

Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos began heading back to the dorms, and I made to follow, but slowed my pace to wait for Ben. He had moved to the side and was engaged in a conversation with his parents. I wasn't close, but I heard enough. His parents blamed him for all five of us.

I figured he wouldn't want to talk to me after that, and turned around to leave quickly. I then heard a shout from behind me.

"Andrea!"

Ben had caught up to me, and gave me a bright smile. "I though you were waiting on me."

 _So we are doing this now? Okay_.

"Honestly," I sighed, "I didn't think you'd want to talk to any of us after that." We walked a few more feet in a silence that put me on edge.

"Did you think I'd be mad at you?"

"Ben, I just punched your long-time friend in the face. Of course I thought you'd be mad. I just took whatever shot we had at acceptance and threw it out the window."

Ben smiled. "We're outside."

I gaped at him. How could he joke about this? "Ben, seriously."

"He deserved it. And for being my 'long-time friend', he didn't support any of the decisions I made. Oh, and as soon as I was under that love spell, he started dating Audrey. So no, I'm not mad. Not at you."

I sighed. We had made it into the castle now, turning up the right staircase and heading for my room. "I just wish it had gone better. Just so everyone would know that you were right about giving us a second chance."

"Yeah, well, what's done is done. All we can do now is keep moving forward."

After all the commotion, I had just wanted to relax. I decided to take Cerberus on a walk, and invited Carlos to bring Dude.

We were currently walking along one of the schools shorter nature paths. Our dogs were running around, sniffing each others butts, typical dog stuff. It was evening, but we had time to finish the trail and get back to the castle before night fell.

Carlos suddenly spoke, breaking the amicable silence. "I wonder how Chads doing. I'm sure his nose will be fine, but do you think his ego will ever recover?"

I laughed. "Probably not." I looked back down to the ground, watching my feet as we walked.

"Okay, what's up?"

I looked up at him startled. "I don't know what you're ta-"

"Listen," he interrupted, "We haven't been friends for long, but I know something is going on. It can't hurt to talk about it."

I sighed. He was right.

We had turned around, and were on our way back to the school.

"Okay, fine, but I should start by saying something-"

He interrupted me again. "You like Ben."

I stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth wide open. "How did you-?"

"It's pretty obvious. You guys go everywhere together, you guys do everything together. He brought Cerberus from the island because you missed him. He comes to you for everything. I figured that whatever was bothering you was Ben-related."

"Okay, if you keep interrupting me, this conversation isn't gonna go well." I gave him a glare and he held his hands up in surrender. "So, I was hoping that Ben would ask me to go to his coronation with him."

"Did he?"

"Not really, no. He told me it was part of my 'best friend duties' to go with him. Oh, and he basically implied that the only reason he was asking was because he didn't want to go alone."

I huffed in annoyance at the memory of it. I mean, I was still going with him, but not in the way I had hoped.

"Wow," Carlos replied after a moment.

"Right!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air.

Boys. Not even boys, just Ben.

We made it back to the school just as the conversation drew to a close. Perfect timing.

As we made our way up to our wing of the castle, Carlos spoke again. "Thanks for telling me about what was going on. You didn't have to."

"Well it was either tell you or have you annoy me for the rest of the week. I took the easy way out." I smiled. "But seriously, thanks for listening. It's nice having someone to talk to."

 **A/N: Yay, I finally updated! It's short, and there are probably errors, but I wanted to post it for you guys. Thanks to Guest for reminding me to update, I can't believe it's been almost a month.**

 **Anyway, excuse time: I work at a retail store, and it was the week of Black Friday. Need I say more? The good news is, things have died down a bit for now. Bad news is, I haven't pre-written any more of the story, so I'll need more time to write. But, until Christmas gets closer, I should be able to write a bit more.**

 **Thanks to Guests (they might be the same person, idk), HermioneandMarcus, Wilmaall, bookworm12091, MsRose91, and as always biankies for the reviews!**

 **So, tell me, what did you think? Did you like Andrea finally punching someone in the face like she's been threatening to do since the beginning? I loved it. Chad was always my least favorite. I just feel like he never did anything to redeem himself for being such a jerk, ya know?**

 **Some questions for you guys** : **What did you think of this chapter? What do you hope happens next? And, if you're feeling particularly chatty, how was your Thanksgiving?**

 **Thanks to everyone who has kept reading, and to all the new readers! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It had only been a couple of hours since my talk with Carlos, most of which was spent playing with Cerberus before he had to leave. It felt as though a small bit of weight had been lifted from my chest. Sure, talking about my situation with Carlos hadn't really helped anything with Ben, but it did feel nice knowing that I had someone I could talk to about this.

When we had first been invited to Auradon Prep, I hadn't really known any of the other villains kids on the Isle. I kept my head down, didn't interact with people, and for the most part, flew under everyone's radar. I never really felt like I had anything in common with the others. Sure, I was sarcastic and rude at times, but I wasn't evil, and I certainly didn't steal candy from babies. I mean, come on, who does that? Why would anyone even want to get that close to a baby? Gross.

Sorry, back on topic. Like I was saying, I'd never really had anyone I could call a friend back on the Isle of the Lost, unless you count my dad, and most people don't. But now, that was different. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and I had been through a lot ever since we arrived, and it brought us closer together. True, the four of them had already been friends, but I felt like I was fully included now. And that meant a lot to me, even if I would never admit it out loud.

There was a rushed knock on my door. I moved Cerberus from his spot in my lap onto the floor, where he preceded to run around my ankles as I walked to the door. I barely had time to open it before Ben was pushing his way into my room.

Okay that was weird. Ben entering my room without getting permission first? Not that I would've refused and left him in the hallway or anything, but still, this was odd.

"Well, hello to you, too." I turned to look at Ben, who seemed nervous and... sweaty? Uh oh. My brain immediately began to think of horrible scenarios that would cause him to be here.

 _Oh no. He's talked to his parents. They've decided not to let him be king. No! They've decided to lock us back up on the Isle of the Lost! Oh gods, I don't want to go back!_

Before I could voice any of my concerns, Ben faced me and spoke.

"So... Carlos came and talked to me." He made eye contact then, and I felt my entire face heat up.

 _Dammit Carlos! Okay, gotta think of something quick!_

I laughed in a way I hoped didn't sound nervous. "Well, I wouldn't listen to anything Carlos says! I mean - did you know - he's a compulsive liar! Yep! Can't trust a word he says!"

Ben's eyes widened and a hint of a smile pulled at his lips. "Oh, so everything he said was a lie?"

 _Oh gods, he knows I'm lying! Too late to back out now, I've got to commit._

"Yes! Absolutely all of it. One-hundred percent."

Ben was smiling fully now as he took a step closer. "So, if I asked you to be my date to the coronation, you _wouldn't_ say yes?"

"Yes! - Wait, no! - Wait...what?" I was officially brain dead at that moment.

"Andrea, would you like to go with me to my coronation? And not as a friend, but as my date, because I like you quite a lot."

I guess I stood there for a moment too long with my mouth hanging open, because Ben waved a hand in front of my face. This kickstarted my brain back into gear. My gaping mouth transformed into a smile as I gave the obvious answer.

"Yes!"

I'm sure Ben would've flashed his thousand-watt smile then if it hadn't already been on full display thanks to my earlier stupidity.

As it was, he did one better.

Ben closed the remaining distance between us with two steps.

 _Please be about to do what I think you're about to do._

Slowly but confidently, he brought his hands up to hold each of my cheeks, and leaned in until our lips brushed. It was soft, and sweet, and everything I'd imagined kissing him would be like.

Not that I imagined it often or anything.

Okay, so what if I did?

It only lasted for a few seconds before he pulled away. As cheesy as it sounds, we stood there smiling stupidly at each other for far too long. It was Cerberus knocking into my legs that brought us back to reality.

We stepped back a bit from each other, and Ben shook his head as if to clear it.

"I got a bit distracted, but that wasn't the only reason I can to see you. There's a few details about the coronation I wanted to go over with you."

"Alright."

We sat down on the end of my bed, Cerberus jumping up with us to settle in Ben's lap. He absentmindedly petted the furry creature as he began to speak.

"So, as my date, there are a few extra details we should talk about. First, we will both show up in a carriage-"

"What? Why?"

He gave me an odd look. "Well, it's my coronation, and-"

I waved my hand at that. "No, I get why _you'll_ be in the carriage, you're about to be crowned as King. I'm confused as to why I'll be with you. I'm just your date, I feel like that's not important enough to warrant a seat on the carriage with the future king, you know?"

I hoped he didn't take offense at that. I just felt like I didn't do anything to deserve a spot next to him in the carriage.

He stopped for a moment, as if he'd never really questioned why his girlfriend - who he could be broken up with the next day - would get to ride with him.

A thought suddenly sprung into my head. "Actually, I have an idea!"

Ben looked up in interest.

"Why don't Evie, Mal, Carlos, and Jay ride in the carriage with us? Show you're parents that you stand by your decision to bring us here, and you don't care if they disapprove."

"I love that idea!" He said happily. "In fact, I bet I can make room for all of them next to you at the coronation, right up front. I'll have to move Chad and Audrey down some, but it's my coronation, and I didn't really want them so close anyway."

I smiled at that.

"So," Ben continued, "Do you have a dress for the coronation yet?"

I froze. Oops, I'd completely forgotten about that.

"Uh oh."

"You don't have anything to wear?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "There's not much use for fancy dresses on the isle, Ben."

With that, I threw my door open and ran next door.

"Evie!"

"Andrea, calm down!"

I had burst into Mal and Evie's room in a panic because holy crap I didn't have a dress, how could I forget I needed a dress?

"How am I supposed to calm down? I don't have a dress!"

Ben had already popped his head in, seen me freaking out, and excused himself to his room.

Evie was trying to talk sense to me as I paced the room. Mal sat on her bed, watching us with an amused expression.

Evie was getting annoyed with me, I could tell. "You're right Andrea, it would be a problem...if I hadn't started making all of our dresses weeks ago!"

I stopped my pacing. "Really?"

Evie laughed. "Of course. I've been working on the designs since I heard about the coronation. Did you honestly think I'd let you dress yourself for such an important event?"

I frowned at her and looked down at my clothes. "What's wrong with what I wear?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

I didn't believe that fake smile for a second.

"Sure, okay. Can I see the designs?"

Evie nodded vigorously and beckoned me over to her sketchbook. Mal stated seated in her bed, now immersed in her spell book, so I assumed she had already seen her dress design.

Evie quickly flipped through the pages until she found the drawings of our dresses. They were incredibly detailed for drawings. Mal's was going to be light purple with a high collar and a long, ruffled skirt. Evie's, in comparison, was a dark blue strapless dress, with gold chains connecting the top of the dress to a small cape. My dress was sketched on the next page.

Usually, Evie's designs for me were mostly black with accents of light blue. However, I suppose she figured a black dress wouldn't be ideal for the coronation. My dress had an intricate black lace bodice, but the skirt was made up of light blue - almost teal - shimmery material that flowed down to my drawing-selfs ankles.

"Oh wow," I breathed. It looked beautiful.

Evie's voice was ecstatic as she asked, "So, you like it?"

"Are you kidding me?" I scoffed, standing upright from where I had been admiring the dress, "I love it! Have you finished them yet?"

She shook her head. "No, not yet. But don't worry! They'll be ready in time. And no, you can't see it until it's done."

I sighed in disappointment, but thanked her for making the dress and went to my room for some sleep.

Time passed as it always does when life is busy, and suddenly it was the day before the coronation. Cerberus had gone home a while ago, and my room was empty and lonely again. With all the excitement for the coronation, however, I was rarely in my room anyway.

Actually, I was in Evie and Mal's room. Evie had finished the dresses the day before, and it was time to try them on. The three of us stood huddled in front of the full length mirror, squeezing so we could all be seen.

Standing there, looking at the beautiful dress Evie had made for me, I realized it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Ben bringing Cerberus to visit and Carlos talking to Ben were also on the list.

Speaking of Carlos, I had made sure to talk to him about Ben. The conversation went a little something like this - including arms punches.

"I can't believe you told him!"

Punch.

"You mean it didn't go well?"

"It went wonderfully, but I still can't believe you told him!"

Punch.

"Ow! Why are you punching me if it went well?"

"As a warning."

Punch.

"My poor arm."

And scene.

Carlos was being a big baby, I didn't even punch him that hard.

Anyway, back to dresses.

"Mal, Andrea, you guys looks fantastic!"

"All thanks to you," Mal said, giving Evie a hug. I was content to just watch, but there was a tug on my arm and Mal had pulled me into the group hug.

We changed our of the dresses so as to not dirty them before the coronation, and had just settled into the beds when there was a knock at the door. Mal answered it, and invited Ben, Jay, and Carlos into the room. I noticed that Carlos carefully positioned himself outside of punching distance. Scaredy-cat.

"So Ben, what did you want to talk to us about?" Jay asked, leaning up against Evie's work table.

Ben clapped his hands together once. "Well, thanks to Andrea's great idea, I managed to get us a bigger carriage so we could all ride to the coronation together."

At the news, everyone got excited. Jay and Carlos even high-fived, to which I rolled my eyes.

"And," Ben continued, getting our attention again, "You get to stand right up front, right next to me! Well, sort of right next to me."

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Carlos exclaimed, to which we all agreed.

Let me just say: riding in a horse-drawn carriage looks fancy, but the ride is anything but smooth. It probably wasn't noticeable from the crowd, but we were bouncing the entire way to the cathedral.

I was smushed between Ben and Carlos, while Evie, Mal, and Jay sat facing us. Honestly, if this was the large carriage, I would not have wanted to try to fit us all in the regular one. Yikes.

Once we reached the cathedral, I was surprised to see and announcer and a film crew. Seriously? This wasn't a parade, and if it was, it was pretty lame, considering we were the only float.

We split up at the top of the stairs so Ben could make his "kingly" entrance. As the four of us took our spot directly by the dais, we received several nasty looks. Most of them came from Chad and Audrey, whose spot we had taken. I just smiled at them and waved in a way that was too over-the-top to be genuine.

As soon as the ceremony started, the hall fell quiet. The doors opened and Ben began his walk up to the dais, shooting us a grin as he passed. I gave him a subtle thumbs up as he walked by, which made him almost laugh.

A bunch of boring coronation stuff happens, but I'll just skip ahead to the interesting part.

Fairy Godmother had almost finished crowning Ben as king when Jane - her own daughter, who saw that coming? - snatched the wand from her grasp.

The crowd let out a collective gasp of shock as Jane attempted to wield the wand. Random jets of magic shot off in every direction as people ducked and covered to avoid it.

Mal, the most experienced with magical items, ran forward and managed to grab the wand from Jane after much struggling. Jane ran off back into the crowd as Mal walked toward Fairy Godmother, wand outstretched.

Fairy Godmother took the wand with a smile. "Thank you, Mal. As for you, young lady," she said, pointing to Jane, who was attempting to hide behind a guest, "We will talk about this at home! Now, shall we continue?"

She never got the chance, because a sickly green mist appeared out of nowhere, and quickly formed into Maleficent, who proclaimed loudly, "I'm back!"

Fairy Godmother tried to disarm her, but Maleficent quickly froze everyone except for Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay.

Yep. I got frozen. And yeah, it was awful. I felt helpless.

Don't get me wrong, my friends handled it no problem, Mal managed to steal the wand from her mom who stole it from Fairy Godmother. Then her mom turned into a dragon, which was scary but also really cool. Then Mal did this chant about hearts or something - I was kind of out of it at the moment - and her mom turned into a lizard. And then Fairy Godmother unfroze us. A lot happened in the short amount of time I was frozen.

I missed _all_ the action.

As soon as we were all able to move, Ben rushed over to me, frantically looking me up and down to make sure u wasn't hurt. "Are you alright?"

I laughed and batted his hands away. "I'm fine. A little disappointed that I didn't get to fight a dragon, but hey, I'll get over it."

I reached up and fixed his crown, which Maleficent had left crooked on his head. He smiled at me, and stood there for a bit too long.

I cleared my throat. "Um, Ben, you might wanna get back up there so they can make this,"- I tapped his crown -"official."

He nodded and returned to his place in the middle of the hall, where his coronation was completed, and he walked away a king.

Honestly, this was getting ridiculous - ha, see what I did there? But seriously, how did they all know these dance numbers?

We were at the coronation "after party", and suddenly everyone had broken into song. I was sitting on a stone bench off to the side because I had no idea what was going on.

Jay and Carlos had done their best to drag me into the festivities, but I threatened them with my fists of fury and they backed off rather quickly.

After the musical number was over, Ben came to join me on the bench.

"This is the second time I've asked you this, but do you guys rehearse this stuff or just have a hive-mind or what? Because I'm both impressed and a little weirded out."

He just shook his head and draped an arm around me. I let my head fall onto his shoulder and watched as everyone, including the other "bad kids" who no one had trusted, talked and laughed together.

"You know," I said after a moment, "you're idea to bring us to Auradon Prep was very successful. Maybe you should invite more?"

"That's not a bad idea."

 **Author's Note: And that's a wrap folks! Hot damn you guys I am so sorry this took so long! School and work, you know, always getting in the way. But hey, I managed to finish a story for once.**

 **So this chapter isn't edited, but I figured you'd waited long enough for it. I literally just threw together all my ideas for the ending of this in a single chapter.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story, it means a lot to me and it helped me finish (even though it took me forever).**

 **So, some people asked whether or not I would do a sequel when the next Descendants movie comes out. The answer is maybe? I'm not sure, it depends on a lot of things. But if I do, updates will be unreliable just like with this fic. As for other writings, I probably won't do anything else Descendants unless its a sequel. And I won't be taking requests for fics either. I don't really have the time to do my own writing, let alone have someone depending/waiting on me to write something for them.**

 **If you have any questions about the ending or just the story in general feel free to send me a message and I'll try my best to give you an answer!**

 **Again, thank you to everyone still reading and supporting, I couldn't have finished this without you.**


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